The Record Searchlight
By Jenny Espino
June 16, 2012

Redding leaders are looking to settle fines, at a cost of more than $1 million, for releasing pollutants into the Sacramento River, mostly during torrential rains in March 2011.

A proposal to pay a $225,000 fine and establish an $800,000 program to replace some older sewer lines goes to the City Council on Tuesday. State water regulators will forgive $425,000 of fines if the city carries out the program. The city also estimates incurring $170,500 of staff costs to run the program.

City officials began to work on a settlement with state water regulators in September when it seemed apparent it would be the less expensive option, said Brian Crane, public works director.

“We have the same goals in mind. Their goal obviously is to make sure the water stays clean. We spend a lot of money to keep the water clean,” he said.

The fines stemmed from at least two sewage spills in October and December 2010, a chlorine-rich water spill of 67,250 gallons in January 2011 and the release of 195 million gallons of unfiltered water into river during heavy rains between March 23 and April.

Regarding the latter, the Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board was aware the city bypassed filtration at its Clear Creek treatment plant to avoid a raw sewage spill, but the agency had not approved the procedure.

Filtration is an important step in the sewage treatment process that removes waste, foods, detergents and other solids.

The blend of filtered and unfiltered wastewater released was otherwise fully treated, chlorinated to kill bacteria and then de-chlorinated for public health, utility managers said at the time.

Robert Crandall, assistant executive officer for the water board, said the extent of the fines easily could have been in the “tens of millions of dollars” because the fines can range from $1 to $10 per gallon.

Redding was fined $72,000 for the chlorine-rich spill.

Chlorine is potentially harmful to fish and other aquatic life.

The agreed sum should catch the city’s attention, that it needs to follow procedures and secure permits, Crandall said.

He described the settlement as fair to the city, putting most of the money back to replace old underground lines.

“What they are thinking about will put them in the forefront of other cities,” he said.

“Older cities like in San Francisco and Sacramento have aging infrastructure that will require multibillion-dollar solutions.”

If the council approves the settlement, the city will pay the $225,000 fine in late summer.

The staff then will search for a consultant who can fine-tune plans to replace the old sewer lines — some made of terra cotta — that continue to back up and give homeowners problems.

But it represents a small dent in an annual burden of costly repairs and maintenance.

Crane said the program will target sewer lines that were installed in homes and duplexes in 1973 or in previous years.

At $5,000 apiece, the program might cover as many as 160 private properties. There are 18,000 laterals in the city that fit that bill.

Crane said the city will have five years to carry out the work, although he anticipates all replacements through the program will be completed in two or three years.

The council also is expected to review a master plan for its water utility treatment and distribution system. The plan looks at future areas of growth.

The last time it was updated was 12 years ago.

Leaders this month hired NBS of Temecula to study the city’s impact fees for new buildings and certain utility rates.

The firm’s findings will determine whether the fee schedule should change.

Crane said the study no doubt will factor the replacement of brittle, old cast iron pipes installed in the 1960s, when the city experienced substantial growth.

This infrastructure is due for replacement in 2020.

Builders are sure to celebrate the recommendations Bill Nagel, development services director, will make Tuesday night regarding impact fees for new homes and duplexes.

The council will vote on a resolution that removes the June 30 deadline to apply for one of the 27 remaining permits the city is offering with a $12,500 fee waiver.

On the urging of the council members, who sided with the building community last month, Nagel also will propose reducing traffic and sewer impact fees by half on 50 permits for builders who apply between July 1 and December 31.

Another 50 permits will be granted with a 25 percent reduction in the fees for builders applying for permits next year between Jan. 1 and June 30.

The fresh batch of 100 permits is for the construction of homes and duplexes, although at the council’s discretion, the reductions can include triplex, fourplex or multiple-family buildings, Nagel said.

The city offered the fee holiday in November 2011 to stimulate the slumping construction industry but estimates it will lose $1.25 million of revenue.

The program’s extension, with partial fee reductions, will cost the city $470,250 of revenue.

Shasta Constructors of Redding might be awarded a $3.6 million contract to widen the Twin View Bridge over Churn Creek.

The project involves replacing the two-lane bridge with a five-lane overpass.

The city was awarded $4.3 million of federal funding for the project.

An additional $170,000 will cover staff administration and inspections costs, and $360,000 will be set aside for contingency funding, a city report said.

Residents in the Hacienda Heights subdivision can claim victory against City Hall in their fight for a neighborhood park.

Kim Niemer, community services director, will ask the council to defer the sale of the vacant lot at 2139 Hemingway Street for a year.

The grassy lot was at the center of an epic tug-of-war between city officials who were set to put the lot on the market and residents who religiously attended council meetings in hopes of persuading elected leaders to reverse course.

City Attorney Rick Duvernay and Walt McNeill, the attorney who represented Ken Strathman and his neighbors, traded legal barbs over whether the city had a right to pocket the park fees after it abandoned plans to build a park.

Neighbors presented park design concepts and began to accept donations and in-kind services.

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